
R EPORT 



OF THE 



COMMISSIONER 



OF THE 



Mid-Winter International Exposition 



HELD AT 



San Francisco, Cal 



TO HIS EXCELLENCY: 

JOHN E. RICKARDS 

GOVERNOR OF MONTANA 



JANUARY 1, ISQS 



HELENA^ MONTANA 

STATE PUBLISHING COMPANY 

PRINTERS^ BINDERS 

1895 



r 



YiS 



R E RO RT 



OF THE 



COMMISSIONER 



OF THE 



id-Winter International Exposition 



H^LD AT 



San Francisco, Cal. 



TO HIS EXCELLENCY: 

JOHN E. RICKAROS 

GOVERNOR OF MONTANA 



JANUARY 1, ISQS 



HELENA. MONTANA 

STATE PUBLISHING COMPANY 
PRINTERS^ BINDERS 

1895 







iVIAR 5 1901 
D. of D, 



Commissioner's IReport 



To His Excellency, John E. Rickards, Grovernor of Montana: 

On the 4th day of last January, you saw fit to appoint me Commis- 
sioner of Montana to the Mid- Winter International Exposition, which 
was to open at San Francisco on the 1st of January; and although there 
were no funds for the purpose, of an exhibit at this Fair, and the time 
had already past for the opening, yet feeling that should Montana be the 
only one of her sister States in the West unrepresented at this Fair, it 
would cause a blush of shame to her citizens who might visit San Fran- 
cisco, that she with all her magnificent mineral resources should be un- 
represented, and especially as the chief attraction of this Exposition 
would be its display of the mineral resources of the mining States of the 
West; and believing that a mineral exhibit could be obtained and placed 
in position, that would do credit to our State, and that notwithstanding 
our terrible financial disasters, money could at once be raised owing to 
your proclamation in which you pledged yourself to recommend to the 
next Legislature of Montana an appropriation sufficient to reimburse those 
advancing money to pay the necessary expense of this exhibit, I con- 
sented to accept the position offered, provided it should be without 
(salary) pay, and to enter at once upon the duties of raising money and 
collecting minerals for an exhibit that would do honor to our State. 

The plan adopted for raising money was to secure subscriptions from 
the banks, of moneys sufficient for this purpose; and with the efficient 
aid of Marcus Daly and J. H. Durston, a sufficient amount of money for 
our purpose was raised in three days, by subscriptions of one thousand 
($1,000) dollars each, from the First National bank, of Anaconda, the 
First National bank, of Butte, Clark Eros, bank, of Butte, and Helena 
National bank, of Helena, and two hundred ($200) dollars from the Lara- 
bie Bros, -bank, of Deer Lodge, which proved to be more than sufficient 
to pay all the expenses, of obtaining our mineral exhibit of more than 
thirty thousand (30,000) pounds, of transportation, securing, fitting up and 
ornamenting our space, putting in place our exhibits, its care and atten- 
tion during the five (5) months of the Fair, and its return and distribu- 
tion, as well as the expense incurred in making Montana Day one of the 
most successful days of the Exposition. The entire amount expended in 
behalf of Montana has been $3,996.28. 



4 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER 

There was less than one thousand (1,000) pounds of minerals and some 
cases for showing the same, remaining from the World's Columbian Ex- 
position at Chicago, which were used in the San Francisco Exposition. 
On the 19th of January two (2) car loads of mineral exhibits were shipped 
from Montana for San Francisco, and another car of minerals followed 
about three weeks later. 

The State is under obligations for this magnificent mineral exhibit, 
among many others who lent their efforts in furnishing line samples of 
minerals, to Mr. Thos. Couch, of the Boston & Montana, Messrs. Palmer 
and Hoatson, of the Butte & Boston, Goodale, of the Colorado Smelting 
comi)any, Heinze, of the Montana Ore Purchasing company. Dr. Mitchell, 
of Deer Lodge, Chauvin and Wey, of Butte, the Golden Sunlight company, 
of Pipestone, and especially to Mr. Daly and the Anaconda company, who 
furnished for this exhibit probably the finest and most attractive display 
of copper that was ever presented to the public view, from the crude ore 
to the pure gold and silver separated electrolitically, and bore the ex- 
pense of transportation of the same to San Francisco. 

Upon arrival in San Francisco on the 24th day of January, I found 
the buildings and preparations for the Fair still incomplete, and that the 
space that had been assigned to Montana, was in the gallery of the Me- 
chanic Arts Building, which was very unsuitable for the display of our 
exhibit, but the floor space was apparently all occupied; by persistent 
effort I secured about one hundred (100) feet along one of the main aisles 
on the first floor, in the building mainly devoted to the Agricultural and 
Horticultural display. This space, while very favorably situated in giv- 
ing attractiveness to the exhibit, had a portion of it, insufficient light 
until I was able to put in a skylight immediately above the exhibit. 

Our exhibit was entirely in place by the time the buildings and 
grounds were completed and the formal opening of the Fair took place; 
and our space throughout the entire time of the Fair was the center of 
attraction for miners, mining investors and experts. Often the same 
ones coming day after day and spending hours in careful examination and 
study of our mineral exhibit. One very attractive feature of our exhibit 
and one in which no other portion of our country came into competition, 
was our display of rubies and sapphires taken from our own mines. 

Some of the other States and Territories of the West, having special 
days, it was thought best that we should have a Montana Day, and among 
other things to make that day attractive, a large number of uncut sap- 
phires were obtained, some purchased and some contributed by Messrs. 
Spratt and Knuth, and arrangements were made and carried out, for 
their distribution on Montana Day. All tickets sold at the gate on that 
day had a coupon attached entitling the holder upon the presentation of 
that coupon at the Montana exhibit, to receive an uncut sapphire. 

There was on that day over thirteen thousand (13,000) sapphires dis- 
tributed, and from the first to the last, no one seemed dissatisfied, care 
was taken in the published account of this distribution of gems, to state 
tliat they were uncut, and only a comparatively small portion of Them 
would make cutable gems, but all were valuable as specimens of genuine 
sapphires in the rough. 

Exercises on Montana Day were held in the Festival Hall of the 
building, which was crowded, and a very interesting feature gf the exer- 



MID -WINTER INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION 5 

cises was the entrance of the Foreign and State Commissioners to the 
Fair and Commissioners of California, to the number of over two hundred 
(200) in a body, and a very interesting address was delivered in behalf of 
these Commissioners and also by M. H. DeYoung, Director G-eneral of the 
Fair. It was responded to by the Commissioner, and the exercises closed 
with a very able address by the Hon. W. M. Bickford, of Missoula, who 
was present on that occasion. 

The importance of this exhibit in placing the vast mineral resources 
of Montana before the mining people and mining investors of the coun- 
try, and especially of the West, cannot be over estimated, as an indica- 
tion as to the impression made by Montana's mineral exhibit upon those 
having the Fair in charge, it is sufficient to say that Montana took one- 
third of the awards which were made for the entire mineral exhibit, 
American and Foreign, and among the number were five (5) gold medal 
awards. 

There have been numbers of mining investors who have visited Mon- 
tana to examine into her mining industry, with a view of investment, 
whose attention was attracted to the mineral resources of Montana by 
her exhibit at this Fair, and since my return I have received hundreds of 
letters from all parts of our country as to Montana's mineral resources. 
Many of them having in view some special class of ores displayed in the 
exhibit, and of those attracted to Montana, investments have already 
been made, which have come to mv knowledge of more than ten times the 
amount of the entire cost of Montana's exhibit at the Mid-Winter Fair. 

Mr. S. M. ISTicholson was employed to assist in the care of the exhibit 
and Mr. James Gourley, who is thoroughly conversant with the ores and 
mines of Montana, was present a part of the time, so that during the ab- 
sence of the Commissioner, the exhibit would receive careful attention 
and always have some one at hand qualified to give any information de- 
sired concerning the mining interest of Montana. 

There being no salaried officers, the efCort has been to reduce the ex- 
penses to the lowest possible point consistent with the best interests of 
Montana. 

Believing that your work for the welfare of the State in this repre- 
sentation will be appreciated by our people, and trusting that my efforts 
may meet with your approval, I am. 

Yours very respectfully, 

Thomas G. Merrill. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

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